Symptoms experiences and attitudes towards menstruation among adolescent girls.

The study aimed to analyse the factors affecting menstrual symptoms and attitudes among adolescent girls and the relationship between them. The sample of the cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical research was composed of 604 adolescent girls studying at a university. Individual Information Form, Menstruation Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) and Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire (MAQ) were used as data collection tool in the research. Average age of the students was 21.22 ± 1.71, and average menstrual cycle length was 29.3 ± 7.85 days. MSQ mean score was 69.84 ± 15.48 and MAQ mean score was 103.10 ± 9.84. These results are important for showing that students perceive menstruation as a natural phenomenon, despite significant menstrual symptoms.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? The intensity of menstrual symptoms is associated with negative menstrual attitudes. But, there have been few studies on the relationship between menstruation symptoms and attitudes and their impact on menstrual problems in Turkish adolescents.What the results of this study add? Adolescents' menstrual complaints are common, but their attitudes towards menstruation are positive. The lack of a significant relationship between menstrual symptoms and attitudes were more likely to be explained by the fact that young girls perceive menstruation as a natural phenomenon even though they have so many symptoms.What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? Further study should be extended to various cultures and destinations to understand the effect of culture on menstruation that rural areas may be surrounded by taboos and myths which might affect the negative attitude.

The Relationship between Adaptation to Pregnancy and Prenatal Attachment in High-Risk Pregnancies.

BACKGROUND: Although pregnancy is a physiological process, there are various changes which need to be adapted to. Adaptation and prenatal attachment are important for both the mother's and baby's health. These situations are more crucial for women with high-risk pregnancy. The study aimed to determine the relationship between adaptation to pregnancy and prenatal attachment among women with high-risk pregnancy, as well as socio-demographic and obstetric parameters which affected this adaptation. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This descriptive and analytic study's data were collected from high-risk pregnant women (n=479) who were receiving treatment at two public hospitals in Turkey using Prenatal Self-Evaluation Form (PSEQ) and Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI). Descriptive statistics, correlation and comparative analyses were used in data analyses. RESULTS: It was determined that adaptation to pregnancy was medium and prenatal attachment was high in high-risk pregnant (PSEQ mean score:159.43±27.05; PAI mean score: 63.79±10.75). There was a significant negative relationship between the scales (r=-0.556, p<0.01). This relationship showed that as adaptation to pregnancy increased, prenatal attachment also increased. There was significant difference in the PSEQ by age, educational status, employment status, marital status, year of marriage, spouse's educational and employment status, having health insurance, family type, income status, spouse's attitudes towards pregnancy, number of pregnancies, number of births, having living children, whether the pregnancy was planned, pregnancy week and prenatal attachment. CONCLUSION: According to results, there is relationship between adaptation to pregnancy and prenatal attachment in high-risk pregnancies and some sociodemographic and obstetric factors affects adaptation to pregnancy. Determining these factors can serve as a guide for preventing and reducing additional problems that may be encountered in pregnancy and postpartum period in high-risk pregnant women.

Another face of violence against women: Infertility.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Violence against women is a widespread problem and has serious implications on women's health. Infertility, in many ways, is a very stressful condition that affect social and marital life of a couple; moreover, compared to fertile women, infertile women are twice as vulnerable against violence. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of violence and define the effect of infertility on violence on women receiving infertility treatment. METHODS: Descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out 301 infertile women between November 2015 and August 2016 in a state hospital, Izmir. Data were collected as "Sociodemographic Characteristics Form" and "Infertile Women's Exposure to Violence Determination Scale". RESULTS: The mean age of women was 31.77±5.46 years; the average duration of marriage was 6.93±4.53 years. About 32.5% of women stated that they have suffered from violence throughout their lives and 4.7% of women were still suffering from violence, while 5.0% of women were subjected to violence after infertility was diagnosed. CONCLUSION: It is an encouraging finding that infertile women have a low exposure to violence. However, despite a low violence rate, there is an increase in violence toward women who have been diagnosed with infertility.

Pregnant Turkish women with low income: their anxiety, health-promoting lifestyles, and related factors.

This paper presents anxiety levels, health-promoting lifestyles and related factors among pregnant Turkish women with low income. A descriptive correlation and cross-sectional study was conducted at a state maternity hospital in Western Turkey. The paper reports on the data (n = 195) from the Spielberg State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. The average HPLP score was low (mean 2.57, SD 0.42). The average STAI score was high (40.67 ± 9.48; 46.40 ± 8.09, respectively). A significant relation was detected between the trait anxiety, state anxiety, antenatal visit, perception of social support, living environment, family type and HPLP (P < 0.05). A moderately negative relation was detected between the mean STAI and HPLP scores. The findings indicate information and data should be provided for service planning and community care to support pregnant Turkish women with low income in communities.